Phys.org December 9, 2024 Gel-based sensors typically depend on a metal grid connection, which is susceptible to structural deformation under heavy stress applications and necessitates external power. Researchers in South Korea developed gel polymer electrode-based triboelectric nanogenerator (GPE-TENG) that was stretchable, semi-transparent, and durable, designed to enable a self-powered touch panel for intelligent touch perception. The ionic polymer gel encapsulated within the ecoflex ensured robust adhesion of the ionic conductive polymer gel (PEO/LiTFSI) to the ecoflex layers. It demonstrated high durability, enduring stretching of approximately 375 % and sustaining heavy mechanical deformations over a long period without loss of functionality. […]
Category Archives: Wearable electronics
Vertically stacked skin-like active-matrix display with ultrahigh aperture ratio
Phys.org August 6, 2024 Vertically stacked all-organic active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes are promising candidates for high-quality skin-like displays due to their high aperture ratio, extreme mechanical flexibility, and low-temperature processing ability. However, these displays suffer from process interferences when interconnecting functional layers made of all-organic materials. An international team of researchers (USA – Georgia Southern University, China) developed an integration strategy called “discrete preparation-multilayer lamination” based on microelectronic processes. They prepared each functional layer separately on different substrates to avoid chemical and physical damage caused by process interferences and introduced a single interconnect layer between each vertically stacked functional layer […]
Toward perdurable flexible electronics
Nanowerk March 23, 20212 In wearable electronics, to acquire stability and simultaneously preserve stretchability, sensitivity, and scalability is of high significance yet challenging for practical device applications. Researchers in Japan developed a kirigami-structured graphene–polymer hybrid nanocomposite for strain sensors by a laser direct writing technique on a polyimide sheet. To protect the device, ecoflex polymer was applied as the passivation layer. Depending on the applications, ecoflex grid-wrapped and film-encapsulated have high stretchability and sensitivity. In demonstrations the sensor platform suffered almost no performance degradation even after >60 000 stretching cycle tests due to less strain within the sensor. As proof-of-concept for […]
‘Breathable’ electronics pave the way for more functional wearable tech
Science Daily April 30, 2020 Researchers at the North Carolina State University used the breath figure method to create a stretchable polymer film featuring an even distribution of holes. The film is coated by dipping it in a solution that contains silver nanowires and heat-press the material to seal the nanowires in place. The resulting a few micrometers thick film showed an excellent combination of electric conductivity, optical transmittance and water-vapor permeability and stability in the presence of sweat and after long-term wear. They demonstrated the material’s potential for use in wearable electronics and electrophysiologic sensors…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
A new stretchable battery can power wearable electronics
EurekAlert January 24, 2020 To develop a soft and stretchable battery an international team of researchers (USA – Stanford University, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, China, Singapore) developed a polymer that is solid and stretchable rather than gooey and potentially leaky, and carries an electric charge between the battery’s poles. In lab tests the experimental battery maintained a constant power output even when squeezed, folded and stretched to nearly twice its original length. The thumbnail-sized prototype stores roughly half as much energy, ounce for ounce, as a comparable conventional battery. The team is working to increase the battery’s energy density, build […]